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(No Model.)

1 J.'W. GRAYDON;

. CONTACT FUSE 'FOR PROJECTILES. No. 382,227. Patented May 1, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. GRAYDON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR, BYMESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE GRAYDON DYNAMITE PROJECTILE CARTRIDGE AND HIGHEXPLOSIVE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CONTACT-FUSE FOR PROJECTILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,227, dated May 1,1888.

Application filed May 7, 1837. Renewed February 15, 1888. Serial No.264,145. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES W. GRAYDON, of Washington city, in theDistrict of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Contact-Fuses for Projectiles; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows alongitudinal section of my improved contact-fuse; and Fig. 2 shows alongitudinal sectional view of a portion of a shell provided with myfuse.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved contact-fuse foruse in projectiles, which can be placed wholly within the projectile,and is not exposed to the heat and flame from the explosion of thepropelling-charge in the gun; and to this end my invention consists inthe fuse and in the construction, arrangement, and combination of theparts thereof, as hereinafter specified.

Where, as has heretofore been done, the percussion or contact firingdevice of aprojeetile has been so arranged as to project partly from theprojectile, so as to present a portion to be struck, when the projectilestrikes an object there is always danger of enough heat beingtransmitted along the firing-pin or through the wall of the shell to thesensitive percussionprimer to fire the latter. To avoid this danger andthe consequent one of premature explosion of the shell, I have inventeda contactfuse which I put entirely within the shell, where it isunexposed to fire or transmitted heat.

In the drawings, A designates the casing of a shell or explosiveprojectile, such as is fully described in my other pending application,No. 237,448, with its lining B, of material nonconduetive of heat, andits explosive charge 0, of peculiar nature.

The shell lining and charge are fully set forth nd covered in my saidother application, and need not be further described in the presentspecification. So far as the action of my fuse is concerned, other formsof shell and other kinds and varieties of explosive can be used, asdesired.

Placed within the front end of the chargereceiving chamber of the shellis the fuse D,

which consists, as shown, of the funnel-shaped or rearWardly-taperingtube D, of brass, copper, or some other sheet metal. front end of thisfunnel is in contact with or close to the front end of the chamber. Itsrear end is preferably made cylindrical for a short distance at D toreceive the tube E, which is adapted to slide longitudinally within thefun- 60 nel. At its front end this tube projects forward only to a pointat some distance from the front end of the funnel D, and at its rear endit projects, as shown, well beyond the rear end of the cylindricalportion D on the said fun- 65 nel. While the tube E is free to slideforward and back within the funnel,'it is normally held in the positionjust described,-and shown in the drawings, by a spiral spring, F, withinthe funnel, attached at its rear end to tube E. The 7 forward end of thespring can either bear against the end of the shell-chamber or beattached to the funnel. On the front end of tube E is the percussion capor primer G, adapted to be exploded if the tube is driven 7 forwardagainst the front end of the said shellchamber.

The tube E is, as indicated, filled with powder, to befired by theexplosion of the primer G. The tube can of course be made of any 80interior capaeity,to receive a larger or smaller charge of powder, asdesired, for properly and best igniting the exploding-charge of theshell.

With the shell loaded with the explosive such as is described in my saidother applica- 85 tion more powder is desirable in the tube than 4powder in the tube, being set fire to by the we The large 55 primer,ignites and explodes the charge in the shell-chamber. The time at whichthe shell will be exploded after striking an object can obviously beregulated by adjusting the distance of the primer-carrying end of tube Efrom the chamber end-that is by adjusting the distance that the tubewill have to travel against the stress of spring F. The time requiredfor the tube E, by reason of its inertia, to compress the spring F andtravel through the space intervening between the primer on the tube andthe chamber end is of course short; but it is long enough to allow theprojectile to enter a steel target two feet through before theshell-exploding charge is fired. The shell and its charge are just thenat that position in the target orside of an armored vessel or fort wherethe greatest amount of work will be done by the explosive. Such apenetration and timing of the explosion is of the Very greatestimportance where dynamite or other high explosive is used in the shell.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- I. A contact firingfuse for projectiles adapted to be put inside of and inclosed by theprojectile-casin'g, and consisting of an outer casing, in combinationwith a tube slid-,

ing within the same, a primer on the tube, and a spring engaging thetube, so as to hold the primercarrying end of the tube rearward,substantially as and for the purpose shown.

2. In a contact-fuse adapted to be placed within the chamber of anexplosive projectile, the casing and the powdercontaining tube slidingtherein, in combination with the percussion-primer on the tube, and thespring engaging the tube and adapted to hold the same rearward in thecasing, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

3. In combination with the funnel-shaped casing, the powder-containingtube, guided and adapted to slide longitudinally within the easing, thecap or percussion primer on the tube, and the spiral spring surroundingand engaging the tube, so as to hold the same rearward in the casing,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this3d day of May, 1887.

JAMES W. GRAYDON.

Witnesses:

GEO. S. PRINDLE, PHILIP G. RUssELL.

